#1 for weeks of January 4 and 11, 1960.
The very first #1 hit for the 1960's, "El Paso", is a Wild West themed Country tune. Despite not being huge on Country music as already mentioned, I wanted to listen to this song like I usually try to do: With an open mind, and with a non-biased critical review of the piece.
The song's instrumentation is mostly sparse with acoustic guitars being the primary instrument, some of which play very Tex-Mex sounding flourishes throughout the song. The other element that drew me in is Marty Robbins' booming, and authoritative, yet plaintive and relaxed lead vocal. Lyrically, the song describes a sweetheart of an El Paso cantina, with images of cowboys, gunfights, and tragedy. The themes and mood of the lyrics are complimented by the very western music arrangement. It creates an old cowboy movie atmosphere.
There is also some prominent harmony vocals in this song which unlike some earlier songs on this list, don't come across as dated. In fact, listening to this song reminds me of the vocal harmonies of The Moody Blues! Don't believe me? Go listen to The Moody Blues', "And The Tide Rushes In", and compare the two songs vocally.
It's not too far off to say that the Moodies were influenced by Robbins, in fact, Pete Townshend has cited Marty Robbins as a major inspiration. Even Brian Wilson must have been influenced by Robbins as his psychedelic western masterpiece, "Heroes And Villains", certainly feels like a spiritual successor to "El Paso".
I know that to some, this tune and the entire genre won't hold any interest, and that is a bit unfortunate. I'm guilty of this myself, but there is a fine line between classic Country that evokes an outlaw/historical old west feel, vs more modern Country like Toby Keith's absolutely God Awful, patriotic for all the wrong reasons, "Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue".
The important thing for this whole blog is to sometimes break out of one's comfort zone. Just because someone doesn't necessarily like a genre doesn't mean they should ignore every song from it. This is a nicely crafted song that still holds up well today, and even a guy who's a near Rock-purist like myself can see that.
Final Verdict - Just because I'm not big on the Country genre doesn't mean that GOOD Country songs should escape me, or you. Open your mind and you'll see this is well worth a listen, and a nice change of pace from the soft ballads to start off the 1960's.
Coming Up Next - "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston.
Until Next Time - Dr. Rock -
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